Auto pilots

I'll chime in to say that my new Garmin Reactor 40 autopilot is fantastic. I have many 120 & 220 mile roundtrips in various sea conditions and it is just rock solid.
trolling and running hard for home....I would go as far as saying it is a necessity....more useful than a refrigerator or a windlass
 
This is an interesting thead, can anyone share what the ball park installed cost of one of these systems would be?
 
Legend said:
This is an interesting thead, can anyone share what the ball park installed cost of one of these systems would be?
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It varies depending on the pump you need and or performance you want and whether your Multifunction display/gps/ff can control it. Otherwise you need a control/display also.

I went with Garmin. They have a $1500 "Compact Reactor" that would work on twins with a tie bar but they warn that performance at trolling speeds will not be as good as the Reactor 40 with a Smart Pump.
I got a complete high end package for $3011. Its the 010-00705-69 pn has the Smart Pump(not v2), GHC-20, CCU, Shadow drive, and a shipload of cables
New fittings and hoses added a few hundred more. I went with the Smart Pump because if I repower and want to go with dual steering cylinders it will work.
You can save by using a compatible MFD as a controller instead of buying a GHC-20 and the Shadow drive is not necessary.
I like having a GHC20 next to the helm leaving both of my Garmin displays for map and sonar.

It works great even at idle speed. I can point it down a long very narrow channel and it is straight as an arrow....better than me trying to go straight.
Coming in from 40 miles in 3-5 ft quartering seas it was less than 100ft cross track error. We really are just amazed at how good it is.
 
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Absolute favorite mod on my boat! From long offshore trips to trolling for salmon, mine is always on. Simrad ap24
 
ROBERTH said:
All I can say is that the Autopilot should have been one of my priorities years ago!
Hook up a fish, lock on heading, go fight the fish without the boat turning and tangling the lines. Just keep an eye out for other boats.
Like others have said, keeps a better course than I can manually, so better fuel and time.
Less wear and tear on me.
When heading in for the day, set heading toward home at a trolling speed, allowing us to clean up and gain some miles before we get on plane. With my typical 50 to 60 mile run home, we gain sometimes 10 miles or so by the time we get all cleaned up and everything tied down for the ride. This is a huge time saver!
For the money, this autopilot option is a good deal and well worth it!
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Ah, you have seen the light. I have been saying for years that an A/P should be high on the list of upgrades.

When we purchased our 2002 Islander 270 new in March 2002, we immediately expanded our fishing in the lower Chesapeake Bay. That included trolling for striped bass that first winter season. It was always just Cathy and I, and soon found that when one of four lines hooked up and I went to clear the others while Cathy got the fish, the boat would wander terribly. Installed a Simrad AP-11H and that was the start of it.

Went to an AP-16, then an AP-26 when a nearby lightning strike damaged the 16. Had moved to a Simrad NAC-2 unit before selling the boat.

When we would finish up a day of fishing 75nm out, I would do just as you describe. Pick that arrival waypoint on the Simrad or Lowrance, put the A/P in "Navigate", set the speed for a fast troll, and then get the cockpit all cleared, gear stowed, head calls for all, bean bags set, beer nearby for the crew, and then throttle up for the long cruise home.

Used contour navigation to troll over a 450-ft deep area on the slopes of the Norfolk Canyon.
 
Raymarine Evolution. Easy install like said above' saves fuel and fatigue trolling is the best with AP. You will never know how you lived without it!
 
RobertH reaching out to you on this thread also——I may try to (Almost) replicate your electronics/ap/helm On my ‘97 Marlin hoping you may be willing to help guide me through!
 
Hi, I had just responded to your other post and forgot to answer your full question. I have my Autopilot running from my HDS Live 12 units. I have 2 of these head units and run my Halo24 radar, Autopilot and SiriusXM from the WM-3 for the satellite weather. Will upgrade to the new WM-4 coming out soon.
I use the Simrad RC42 heading sensor instead of the Point1 AP that comes with the Autopilot pack, so not sure how the AP does in comparison. I use the Point1 for GPS. Just to clarify, there is a Point 1 and a Point 1 AP. The AP is the heading sensor and shares the right language to communicate with the autopilot. I already had the Simrad RC42 so just used it instead and others had advised it would be better. Now, the RC42 has been replaced I think. I can't recall what it was, but I would try the Point1 AP if you don't have the other heading sensors.
 
I just spent my second day out with my newly commissioned Lowrance Autopilot, controlled by an HDS-9 Touch Gen 2, using Point 1 AP...

Install was a pain, but that's because the only option on a 265 Express is to cut (replace, in my case) the steering lines...

Now that it's done, I can say this is a really fantastic upgrade... Was never a fan of trolling, but this makes it tolerable, especially going solo...
 
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If you have a single main outboard can an AP control it as well as a kicker motor? Or does it only control the main engine and the kicker is connected to the main with an ezstear??
 
Controls main engine with a tie bar to the kicker, so then controls the kicker.
 
How low speeds are your autopilots effective down to? Still on the fence as I’d use it mostly for fishing/trolling from 4-8 kts. I have a 208 but am thinking a decent capacity system due to the lower speed and (sometimes) rough water.

Was considering a Simrad AP44 Medium or Raymarine EV-150. Garmin would be nice to integrate with existing electronics but the Compact Reactor doesn’t work well at low speed and the Reactor 40 is $$$. Any recommendations?
 
I troll all the time with mine which is usually from 4mph to 8mph and have no issues. I have kept it in idle speed before, but depending on wind it needs to be able to follow the wind or it will constantly be trying to overcome the windage or drag of the hull in the current. I imagine that is same with any autopilot.
 
The 20 ft GW I have now came with an older Raymarine S1000 auto pilot. I use it all the time when fishing offshore. I arrive at my destination much more relaxed with it on.
 
I installed AP44 in my 228G when I bought the boat a bit over a year ago. I used it to troll all the time, mostly the reason I installed it .
Works perfect , same as if you are steering manually. Of course at very slow speeds ( I mostly troll at 7-8 kn) with wind it constantly turns but still keeps course.
 
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I travel 70 miles offshore and will not have a boat without it...I installed a TR-1 12 years ago and still have it...it was the first unit that did not require rudder feedback and is frankly flawless. Garmin bought them and improved it so I will upgrade to that unit maybe before next years season.

r
 
Works great for trolling down to 2-3 mph. I am self distancing from my Furuno AP 300, as it appears sometimes there is some one else controlling the steering. I find myself distancing in the stern with my mask and goggles on. So far all is well.... so sign of #19. Will be trying to mask the AP next time out just to access a little more time in the helm area. Stay safe!!
 
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Thank you for the replies and thanks, trapper, for starting this thread!

wrxhoon said:
I installed AP44 in my 228G when I bought the boat a bit over a year ago. I used it to troll all the time, mostly the reason I installed it .
Works perfect , same as if you are steering manually. Of course at very slow speeds ( I mostly troll at 7-8 kn) with wind it constantly turns but still keeps course.
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Does “very slow speeds” mean slower than 7-8 knots? We troll around the same speed or a little slower depending on the target species.


Has anyone pieces together an autopilot system or reused a pump with a different brand core pack? Looks like some research but it seems like a system could be assembled for less than the kits when hand picking components (pump, heading sensor, etc.). It’s always better for warranty to stick to a prepackaged kit but that may be where most of the value is...
 
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